Truck



Feb. 22, 1938. W. w. MacDoNALD TRUCK Filed NOV. 2, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Peten-ted Feb. 22, 193s -f l 28,109,177

UNITED STATES lPii'rlezN'r orales TRUCK wiuiam w. Maenonald, Mountain view. oeuf., ssliigtfnor to Max L. Raseni'eld, San Francisco,

Applicatie November-2, l1935, serial No. 47.931 4 claims. (ci. aso- 1065) This invention relates to low bed heavy duty wheels is obtained by means of a pair of spaced trucks. Two ofthe essentials of a truck deparallel load rails I and 2, extendingthe full signed for heavy duty are (a) that the loading length of the loading platform, and interconplatform be kept as low as'possible without dinected by means of a pair of spaced cross rails 5 -minishing the required road clearance, and (b) 8 and 4, and by a rear end rail 5 defining the 5 that substantially the maximum overall width of width of the loading platform. Welded to the a Vehicle permitted by state laws be made availinner corners of the rectangle'formed by the rails able for loading purposes without resorting to I, 2,'3 and 4 are spring carriers 6 which also serve loading platforms having two or more levels. to make the framemore rigid. Welded to the l These conditions should of course be met without cross rail 3 at spaced points substantially in line 10 decreasing the requisite strength of the chassis with the inner faces of the spring carriers 6, are or frame, and in this -connection it should be a pair of main rails 1 and,8'extending forward borne in mind that heavy duty trucks are as a beyond the front end of the load rails I and 2, in rule not provided with bodies, and consequently parallelism therewith to form the vneck of the l the frame must of itself be suillciently rigid toV frame and to support the engine. It will there- 15 withstand distortion. fore be seen that the main rails 'I and 8 together One of the objects of this invention is the prowith the load rails I and 2 and the cross rail 8, Vision of Aa rigid, low-bed heavy-duty truck may be considered as forming interior offsets chassis. j within which thesprings 9 are adapted to lie'.

2O "Another, object of the invention is the provi- The springs 9 may also be considered as lying 20 sion of a simplified jack shaft and spindle assemwithin the load' rails I and 2, and-the rearward bly by means of which the bed' of a vehicle may continuation of lines defined by the main rails bemaintained close to the ground. v l and 8. Extending between the main-rails 'I and Still another object of the invention is the pro- 8 in line with the forward ends of the load rails flexibility of movement of the vehicle springs, loutwardly from the main rails 1 vand 8 in line and enables the bed'of the vehicle to be mainvwith the forward end rail I Il are rails I2 and I8 tained close to the ground. e. welded to the load rails I and 2. Extending out-` Another object of the invention is the provision wardly from the load rails I and 2-from points vision of va spring carrier assembly which permits y I and 2 is a forward end rail I'I, and extending 25,.

of a new and novel oil seal between the wheel substantially in line `with the spring carriers 6, 30.

hub and its associated oil hood. are a pair of cross rails I 5 and I6 which define The invention possesses other advantageous with the load rails I and 2, rectangular recesses features, some of which with the foregoing, will for accommodating the rear wheels of the vehibe set forth at length in the following description cle. Extending between the outer ends of the selected for illustration in the Ydrawings accomrails I1.

panying and forming a part of the present speci- Extending b'etween the load rail 2 and the side cation is outlinei-lv in full. In said draw/ings, one rail I'l are a number of spaced stiilening cross form of the invention is shown, but it is to be rails I8, I8 and- 2l. 'A cross rail 22 in line with 5 where that form of the invention which has been rails I3 and I5 and/ welded thereto are side 35. I

[10 understood that it is not limited to such form, the cross rail I 8, extends between the load rail 2 40 since the invention as set forthin the claims may and the main rail 8 and a cross rail 23 in line with be embodied in a pluralityrof forms. the rails I8 'and' 22, ixtends between the main Referring to the drawings: rails 1 and 8. In the same manner a cross rail 24 Figure 1 is a plan view of the frame of a-heavy in line with the cross rail 2|, extends between the Y duty' truck with part of the loading platform load rail 2 and the main rail 8 and across rail 25 45 broken away to more clearly disclose the object in line with the rails 2| and 24 extends between of my invention. the main rails ,1 and 8. Extending between `the Figure 2 is a side elevation of the frame illuscross rail 4 and the rear end rail 5 intermediate trated in Figure 1. their ends, is a central rail 26. Extending be- Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on'th'e line tween the cross rails 3 and4 are a pair of vspaced 50 3-3 of Figure 1. angle iron oor rails 21 and 28. All of the rails Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4 -4 of above referred te with the exception of rails 2l Figure 3. y and 28 .are formed'of channels, and all joints are .AsI illustrated in Figure 1 a single deck loading made by welding. 4 platorm of maximum width between the rear Since the frame is symmetrical with respect to 55 of the lower half of Figure 1 sumciently illustrates the construction involved without the lgiecessity of detailing the upper half.

Centrally located within the rectangle formed by the'rals I, 2, 3 and 4 is-an axle housing 3l [to the outer ends of which are secured the -leaf "springs s. by means of the usual u-bolts :2. The

. low as possible resort is made to the Jack shaft lower edges of the load rails I and 2 are notched as at. Il to receive the rear wheel spindles of tle vehicle and to compensate forthis weakening they are reinforced' by stiffening plates 34. shown in Figure 3 the stiifening plate 34 is provided with an inwardly extending flange 35, the

free end of which is adapted to seat on the upper .j

edge of the web of the rail 2,'and with a. depending leg `adapted to exigage the inner face of the web. By following this construction it'will be seen that the Awooden flooring l1 may be extended over the flange I5, thereby taking advantage of the width of the rails I and 2.

In order to maintain the bed of the truck as and spindle assembly as shown in Figure 3. Extending upwardly` from the outer end of the axle housing 3i is a bracket 42 provided with a non-tapered or straight bore 43, the axis of which lies in a'plane passing through the axis of a jack shaft 44, accommodated in the axle housing 3|'. Seated in the bore 43 is a wheel spindle 45, provided with a shoulder 46. adapted .`,to abut the Youter face of the bracket 42. Preferably the spindle 45 is secured in its position @merely by means o'f a weld 41. Seated over the outer free end of the' axle housing 3i and the .intermediate portion of the spindle`4i isa gearA housing 4l, within which is adapted to rotate a pinion splines to the end @finie Jack shaft 44, and va ring gear 5| in mesh with the pinion '49 and secured to the wheel hub 52. The wheel hub 52 is journaled on the wheel spindle 4I by means of bearings 53 and 54, and the jack` shaft 441s iournaled within the axle housingjl by means of bearings 5I which preferably support the jack shaft just beneath the upper wall of the housing. Since the pinion 49 is arranged to mesh with the ring gear 5I it will'be obvious that the.,rotary motionof the jack shaft-44 will be transmitted to the wheel hub B2. The important features of this construction are (d) that the wheel spindle 4l is' disposed directly above the Jack shaft 44, thereby keeping the. axle housing and the truck frame as low as possible and that the wheel spindle 45 is securedf to the axle housing 3| in a very simple and positive manner which permits of its ready removal.

Formed on the .outer face of the wheel hub l2 is a peripheral channel I1 adapted to loosely receive an inwardly extending ange 62 f rmed integral with or as n part qt an ou hod u bolted or otherwise secured to the gear housing 4I. Just outwardly of the channel 8| is an voutwardly facing oil channel B4. Ordinarily any oil leaking outwardly past the ring gear Il goes no farther 'than the .oil channel 64 and `de to the rotation of'the hub I2 any oil received in the 'oil should pass -the channel 64 it fio channel 44 is forced to travel outwardly over thering gear. However, if by any chance some can go )fno farther than the flange 42./ f

' Another expedient resorted to in order to'mainthe spring carrier assembly shown in This assembly comprises anopen ended spring .carrier 1I provided ,with la ceiling 12. Secured to ble, is gure 4."

aioaxwl its'center line it is felt that the above description the opposed lateral walls of the spring carrier 1I by means of bolts 1I.passing through lugs- 14 is a cup shaped spring retainer 1i. 'I'he base of the spring retainer is provided with a setfscrew 14 by means of which the vertical position of a rubber 'cushion 11 may be adjusted as desired to regulate the elevation of a ball bearing 18, seated onthe cushion 11. 'Ihe upper and lower ends of the cushion 11 are'provided with metallic washers 19 to prevent direct contact of the ball bearing with the rubber cushion 11. Extending` through the ooring 31 and the ceiling. 12 of the spring retainer is a grease or oil fitting II for lubricating the upper face of the leaf spring 9 the ends of which extend between the ceiling 12 and the ball bearing 18.- This construction has vtwo advantages; in the ilrst place yit eliminates the necessity of the usual spring shackles, thereby making it possible to lower the frame of the vehicle by several inches,and in the second I place due tothe single point contactA of the bail bearing 18 with the lower face of the spring 0, a rocking motion of the' spring is permitted as well as longitudinal movement. t From the above description it will be observed that a low-bed,'singledeck heavy duty truckhas been provided in which all available space between the rear wheels" has been utilized" for the loading platform. All' bends in the main rails have been eliminated and the frame has been so constructed thata very rigid structure is obtained. The :lack shaft and spindle assembly and 1in par cular the elimination of the usual tapered co ections between the spindle and axle housing providesv a simple, rigid construction in which the spindl may be easily removed by merely cutting its elded Joint with the axle housing.

'I claim; i'

1. A vehicle frame comprising: a'pair of spaced lparallel load rails forming a part of a loading platform; a pair of spaced parallel forward and .rear cross rails extending between said load rails: spring receivers secured in each 'of' the `yfour corners deiinedby said load and cross rails; and a .Pair of spaced parallel main rails extending withinn said load ,rails and secured at their rear Y ends to said front cross rail, the main rails being spaced from the load rails so as to lie just inside the spring receivers. v

l 2. A vehicle chassis comprising: a pair of spaced parallel load rails forming a part of a loading platform; spaced forward and. rearl cross rails extending .perpendicularlybetween said load rails and defining therewith a rectangle adapted to overlie the a e housing of the vehicle spring carriers secured within the four inner corners` of said rec jfjgle; .pair of mainrails secured to the forwald cross rail at spaced points within the. forward spring carriers and extending beyond and in parallelism withjtheforward ends of said load rails: and cross rails secured between the` forward en ds of said load railsandsaidA main 3. A vehicle chassis comprising: 'a pair of spaced parallel load rails forming of av loading platform; forward and vrear cross rails) extending perpendicularly- 1- between., 'said load rails so as to form therewith'a rectangle adapted tooverlie the axle housing `lof theyehicle; springl -70 carriers secured within: the four 'corners ofsd i rectangle; a pair of mainrails securedfto J forward cross rail at spaced Points within the forward spring carriersand extending ,beyondv and in parallelism with the forward ends ofsaid load. 1g

rails; and forward and rear end rails secured across and extending beyond said load rails to deine the width of said loading platform.

4. A vvehicle frame comprising: a pair of spaced parallel load rails forming a part of a loading platform; forward and rear cross rails secured to and extending between said load rails at the rear end of said frame; a pair of spaced parallel main rails secured to said forward c ros-s rail and extending forward thereof in parallelism .with said v load rails; and a pair oi' vehicle springs secured within the four corners formed by said load rails and forward and rear cross rails immediately 5 adjacent to and in parallelism with said load rails.

WILLIAM W.A MAcDoNALD. 

